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Ten Elements of Saddle Fit

Element
1: Saddle Placement

First, the horse you are evaluating should be standing squarely on
level ground. Then without a pad, place the saddle correctly on the
horse’s back. This should be 1” to 3” behind the
back of the shoulder blade for an English saddle, and slightly overlapping
the shoulder on a Western saddle. While a Western saddle tree is longer
and often overlaps the back of the shoulder blade by several inches,
a properly fitting one should still allow free movement of the shoulder.

If
you are not sure of proper saddle placement, place it really far forward
and then push it lightly back towards the rear end. You will feel
a place where the saddle wants to stop. This is the correct position
for that horse. Repeat the process to make sure the saddle stops in
the same place each time.

Many
riders place their saddles too far forward, restricting the movement
of the horse's shoulder. The equine shoulder blade moves backward
as much as three inches when the horse is in motion, so saddle placement
must allow enough clearance for the shoulder to move freely without
running into the tree.

This
Western tree shows what the horse feels when a tree is too narrow.
Note how much open space there is at the top of this tree's bars
while the bottom pokes the horse.

Element 2: Correct Tree Angle

The
front angle of the saddle tree is one of the most important aspect
of evaluating a saddle's suitability for a particular horse. When
the angle of the tree does not match the angle (slope) of the horse’s
shoulders, the saddle does not fit.

On
an English saddle, lift up the flaps of the saddle and look for the
points of the tree. On most saddles you can see what looks like a
leather pocket. Inside this pocket, under the leather, lie the points
of the saddle. This is the end of the front of the tree. The Western
tree is easier to locate since it is only hidden by sheepskin underneath
and leather on top.

With the saddle in place on the horse, look at and feel the angle
of the front of the tree from where it starts to touch the horse on
either side of the spine down to the lower end of the point or bar.
Compare it to the angle of the horse's body. If the tree angle is
parallel to his body, the tree is the correct angle for the horse.
If the angle of the points is more narrow than the angle of the horse's
body, the tree is too narrow. If the angle is wider, then it's too
wide.

This
saddle matches the angle of the horse and opens up enough in
front to let the shoulder blade move freely.

When the angle is too narrow, the saddle will pinch the horse at the
bottom of the points, causing discomfort. If the tree is too wide,
it either will fall down on top of the withers, creating little or
no gullet clearance, or once loaded, it will fall down in front, putting
pressure at the top of the tree angle.

If
a tree is within 10 degrees of matching the angle of the horse’s
angle, your saddle fitter may be able to adjust the stuffing on an
English or the shimming on a Western to get a decent fit. If the tree
angle is too far off it cannot be fixed with stuffing or ‘miracle’
saddle pads.

Although
the front tree angle is the most important, the middle and back of
the saddle tree also have angles that differ from the front. Only
if the front angle fits, should you move on to checking out the rest
of the tree angles.

A note about the ‘width’ of a tree: Some saddlers measure
the width of an English saddle by the space in centimeters between
the two points of the saddle tree (e.g.: 31cm). If you use only the
width of the saddle between the points of a tree to determine fit,
you may miss whether the angle of the front of the tree is correct
for the horse. Two saddles with the exact same width measurements,
may be dramatically different in their angles. If the angle is not
right, it does not fit. The same goes for Western saddles, which are
often labeled by the length in inches between the top of the bar angles.

Element 3: Consistent Contact

Checking
for consistent contact is done both from the front with your hand
down the gullet, and also from below as is shown here.

Apply some pressure to simulate having a rider in the saddle. Place
a flat hand into the front of the tree. Run it from the top of the
tree angle to the bottom, checking for equally consistent pressure.
Check both sides of your horse because your horse may be different
on each side.

Next, Insert your hand in the gullet opening and then to the side
of the spine, to check for consistent contact with the tree (or panels)
from front to back under the length of the tree. If you feel less
contact (extra space) in the middle, this is bridging, which means
the saddle is not touching the horse in the middle.

An
English tree has more give to it, so a little bridging may go away
when a rider is aboard. But a Western saddle tree should have no give.
If a Western bridges without the rider, it will bridge with one. This
will cause pain to your horse as the tree displaces all a rider’s
weight to the front and back of the tree only.

Also
check for "rocking," which concentrates the rider's weight
all in the middle of the horse's back, reducing the area of support
and often causing soreness. With a hand on the pommel and the other
on the cantle, alternately press down with one hand and then the other.
If the saddle rocks excessively on the center of the tree, the saddle
may not fit, or in an English the flocking probably needs to be adjusted.

Element 4: Balance of Saddle

On most English saddles, the cantle is designed to sit 1” -
2” higher than the pommel. Most Western saddles are designed
so that the pommel and cantle are roughly even.

If the front is higher in either type of saddle, the tree may be too
narrow. Likewise, if the front is too low the tree may be too wide.
Whether a saddle sits a little high or low in front or back, a properly
fitting saddle should always have a level flat spot in the seat so
that the rider is not fighting the seat to stay balanced on their
horse.

Balanced

Too
Wide, tips forward

Element 5: Level Seat

With the saddle correctly placed on the horse's back, look for the
lowest point of the seat. In most cases, this is a level area centered
between the pommel (the front) and the cantle (the back). This is
the ideal position because it allows a rider to sit comfortably balanced
and effectively deliver seat and leg aids without shifting rider weight
to the front or back of the tree.

When the flat spot is too far back, or worse – there is no flat
spot, instead the seat looks like a wide ‘V’ – the
rider tips back toward the cantle, shifting all their weight to the
back of the panels or bars. This causes the horse to hollow his back.
If the saddle's center is too far forward, the rider slides toward
the pommel and feels out of balance.

If
either of these balance flaws exit, the rider’s natural response
is to brace with their legs, making the aids less effective and causing
an unstable feel for both rider and horse.

A
seat that is not level may indicate a serious saddle-fit problem,
or maybe the saddle was not designed to have a balanced seat.
As long as the saddle tree correctly fits the horse, it may be possible
to adjust the balance with wool flocking in an English, or with shims
or padding in a Western. However, if the saddle is built to sit you
in some other position (which is common for specialty riding situations
like racing or reining), it will be easier to start over with a better
saddle for your needs.

Element 6: Wither & Spine Clearance

There
should be three fingers of clearance between the withers and the
saddle gullet.

With
no rider in the saddle you should be able to fit three fingers into
the gullet space between the bottom of the pommel and the horse's
withers without feeling cramped.

As long as the tree angle fits, if there isn't sufficient room, a
saddle fitter may be able to add flocking to an English saddle or
shims to a Western saddle to ensure that the saddle clears the horse's
withers.

With a rider in the saddle, there needs to be at least two fingers
(2”) of space to assure that the tree is not able to put pressure
directly on the horse’s spine.

Look
down the gullet—the part that sits above the tree or panels—from
the front and from the rear, if you can. The gullet should clear the
entire length of the horse's spine by 2” - 3”.

Element 7: Stability

With no pad, cinch up the saddle and check for excessive movement
side to side. Look at the saddle from all angles to make sure the
gullet lines up with the topline of the horse. Horses may be asymmetrical
and so might a saddle. Closely check to make sure any unevenness is
not causing an issue with this horse-saddle combination.

Element 8: Correct Saddle Length

The weight-bearing surface of a saddle should be from 2" behind
the shoulder blades to the point where the last rib meets the spine.
To find this point (known as T18), locate the last rib and follow
it up to the spine. If the saddle sits behind this point, it will
rest on the lumbar region--the weakest part of a horse's back--where
it can cause injury.

Element 9: Horse's Response

Every horse is inherently honest. No horse ever lies about saddle
fit, so listen to him. He will tell you whether he is comfortable
by his movements and actions. This is the acid test of saddle fitting.

A horse that moves freely, calmly, without hesitation or rushing is
probably wearing a saddle that fits him correctly. Most horses show
an immediate, dramatic change in disposition and movement when an
ill-fitting saddle is fixed or replaced with one that fits well. (Click
here for more signs of an ill fitting saddle)

When a horse just isn't going "right", the saddle (the back),
the feet and the teeth are the most important places to look for clues
to answer why. Your veterinarian, your farrier and your saddle fitter
will be your best allies in helping you determine what is creating
problems in your horse.

Element 10: Elements 1-9 While Riding

This is the final test once you have a saddle that you think fits.
Saddle up with a thin pad and check how all of the above elements
fare with a rider’s weight and while the horse is moving.

This
saddle's tree angle fit this horse well, but the seat was not
balanced. It originally tipped forward causing the rider to
arch her back and feel insecure while riding. So she was using
a wider saddle that didn't fit the horse as well but felt better
to her.

After
checking all other elements of fit, we adjusted the stuffing
and added more in front to level out the seat.

A
post re-stuffing ride showed the rider in a much more balanced,
secure seat with a happy horse moving softly.

Above are the basic elements
of checking your own saddle fit.

If you would like to know
more, contact us.
Saddles That Fit! can help you gain a more indepth understanding of
how to check your own saddle fit. We can walk you through the
science and art of it with your horse in a private
fitting consultation. Or, clinic
participants can spend a day learning even more of the nuances of
saddle fit.